Development of Physical Activity Behaviors Among Children and Adolescents

Pediatrics. 1998;101(Suppl 2):549-554

This article is part of a 1998 supplement to the journal Pediatrics “The Causes and Health Consequences of Obesity in Children and Adolescents.”

Abstract: Physical activity is a key component of energy balance and is promoted in children and adolescents as a lifelong positive health behavior. Understanding the potential behavioral determinants necessitates understanding influences from three fundamental areas: 1) physiologic and developmental factors; 2) environmental factors; and 3) psychological, social, demographic factors. The literature to date has generally investigated potential predictors of physical activity in children and adolescents in each of these three general areas, although existing data rely largely on cross-sectional studies in which it is difficult to distinguish a determinant from a correlate. In all likelihood, aspects of each of these three areas interact in a multidimensional way to influence physical activity in youth. This article reviews evidence of potential determinants of physical activity and provides recommendations for future work.

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All Articles in This Supplement

• Overweight Children and Adolescents: Description, Epidemiology, and Demographics (Troiano RP, Flegal KM, pp. 497-504)
• Measurement Issues Related to Studies of Childhood Obesity: Assessment of Body Composition, Body Fat Distribution, Physical Activity, and Food Intake (Goran MI, pp. 505-518)
• Health Consequences of Obesity in Youth: Childhood Predictors of Adult Disease (Dietz WH, pp. 518-525)
• The Physiology of Body Weight Regulation: Relevance to the Etiology of Obesity in Children (Rosenbaum M, Leibel RL, pp. 525-539)
• Development of Eating Behaviors Among Children and Adolescents (Birch LL, Fisher JO, pp. 539-549)
• Development of Physical Activity Behaviors Among Children and Adolescents (Kohl HW, Hobbs KE, pp. 549-554)
• Treatment of Pediatric Obesity (Epstein LH, Myers MD, Raynor HA, Saelens BE, pp. 554-570)
• Childhood Obesity: Future Directions and Research Priorities (Hill JO, Trowbridge FL, pp. 570-574)